WHO’s New Competency Curricula for African Health Workers
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The WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO) validated prototype competency-based curricula (CBC) for 10 health occupations in October 2025. This landmark effort seeks to replace outdated systems and close significant competency gaps - such as low clinical diagnosis rates - among African health workers, ensuring graduates are fit for purpose.
These new CBCs will serve as reference models for all African countries, instituting harmonised accreditation frameworks and standardising education quality. The initiative contributes to global health security and directly addresses projected health worker shortages by 2030, fundamentally enhancing service delivery and health system resilience continent-wide.
East African health and education sectors gain standardised benchmarks, improving graduate quality and job readiness. This framework fosters faster cross-border mobility and mutual recognition of qualifications, linking regions under the African Continental Free Trade Area's (AfCFTA) financial grid. Crucially, it sets a vital precedent for continental academic collaboration, signalling a transformative investment in a trusted health workforce.
Honourable Mentions:
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Indian Institutes of Technology Set to Open a Campus in Nigeria
Indian Institutes of Technology, IIT, is expanding its global presence with its first ever West African campus set to open in Nigeria as a part of India’s global initiative. The partnership will have Nigeria providing the infrastructure and logistics while India provides the training and faculty. This collaboration aims at producing highly skilled individuals in Nigeria through cutting-edge training while expanding India's international education reach.
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